The struggle against hatred of Christians in the world and the role of the civil society, are the focus of a workshop organised on 26 and 17 June at the foreign ministry in Rome by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. Speaking at the opening session, Under-Secretary Staffan De Mistura recalled Italy’s commitment to the protection of persecuted Christians within a broader effort to defend fundamental freedoms such as religion and creed.
Need for an integrated approach
Speaking to an audience of NGO representatives from OSCE countries, the Under-Secretary underscored the need for an integrated approach that fosters the creation of synergies between diplomacy and civil society with the shared objective of promoting human rights.
Workshop participants included Azra Junuzovic, head of the OSCE tolerance programme, Rev. Ferenc Janka, the Holy See’s head of the crimes of hatred division of OSCE and Diego Brasioli, President of the Inter-Ministerial committee for Human Rights of the MFA.